The Department of Homeland Security’s National Biodefense Analysis and
Countermeasures Center (NBACC) will provide the nation with essential biocontainment
laboratory space for biological threat characterization and bioforensic research.

The NBACC facility, managed
by Homeland Security’s Science & Technology directorate in accordance
with the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and the Homeland Security Presidential
Directive entitled “Biodefense for the 21st Century,” will be
located within the National Interagency Biodefense Campus at Fort Detrick,
Maryland.

The programs conducted
at NBACC will provide knowledge of infectious properties of biological agents,
effectiveness of countermeasures, decontamination procedures, and forensics
analyses to support policy makers and responders’ development of policies,
programs, and technologies.

NBACC is part of a nationwide
group of institutions that collectively are referred to as the Homeland Security
Biodefense Complex. The Complex includes the Plum Island Animal Disease Control
Center, the Biodefense Knowledge Center, the national laboratories, and the
university-based Homeland Security Centers of Excellence.

Composition of
NBACC

NBACC will be comprised
of:

The National Bioforensic
Analysis Center (NBFAC), is designated in Presidential Directive “Biodefense
for the 21st Century, to be the lead federal facility to conduct and facilitate
the technical forensic analysis and interpretation of materials recovered
following a biological attack in support of the appropriate lead federal agency.
NBFAC conducts bioforensic analysis of evidence from a bio-crime or terrorist
attack to attain a “biological fingerprint” to identify perpetrators
and determine the origin and method of attack.

The Biological Threat
Characterization Center (BTCC) will conduct studies and laboratory experiments
to fill in information gaps to better understand current and future biological
threats, assess vulnerabilities, conduct risk assessments, and determine potential
impacts in order to guide the development of countermeasures such as detectors,
drugs, vaccines, and decontamination technologies to protect the U.S. against
these threats.

Facility Status

DHS completed the environmental
planning and public review process for the construction of the NBACC facility
with a Record of Decision on January 26, 2005. It is anticipated that an architectural
and engineering (A&E) contract will be awarded late March 2005 to allow
groundbreaking to take place in the summer of 2006 and completion of the project
in 2008.

A contract is scheduled
to be awarded in March to begin design of the NBACC facility.

The gross space, or entire
footprint, is expected to be about 160,000 square feet. This includes administration
areas, BSL- 2, 3 and 4 laboratory space, air handling equipment space, security
controls, and other supporting features.

The anticipated number
of researchers and support staff is approximately 120.

An interim capability
for the NBFAC has been established in partnership with the FBI and the U.S.
Army at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID)
at Fort Detrick. Also, some threat characterization research and studies are
being conducted in other established private and government laboratories,
including USAMRIID.

The National Interagency
Biodefense Campus

NBACC will be located
on the new National Interagency Biodefense Campus at Fort Detrick. The other
agencies sharing the Ft. Detrick National Interagency Biodefense Campus are:

• Health and Human
Services’ National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID),
NIH
• Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service
and Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research Unit (FDWSRU), and the
• Department of Defense’s U.S. Army Medical Research Institute
of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), USMRMC

Collectively, these laboratories
have complementary scientific goals and will collaborate on developing a comprehensive
understanding of biological agent characteristics (NBACC), elucidating the
disease process (NIAID Integrated Research Facility) and developing products
to reduce risks to human health and agricultural productivity (USAMRIID, USDA-
ARS).

The unique missions of
forensics analyses and threat characterization will complement the mission
responsibilities of the other agencies. Coordination of these proposed activities
takes place through an established Fort Detrick interagency committee.